CUFFY
BEAR had never been very far up Blue Mountain beyond the place where his
father's house nestled among the ever­greens. You know, the summer before he
had been a very small little bear indeed, and the higher one goes up Blue Moun­tain
the harder the climbing becomes. But now Cuffy was growing very fast; and he
was able to scramble up places he could never have even crept a year ago. Each
day now Cuffy climbed a little nearer the top of Blue Mountain. And at last the
day came when he reached the very top. It was so high that the trees did not
grow there. He found nothing but rocks everywhere, with just a little earth to
fill the cracks.

Cuffy thought it great fun
to clamber about all by himself and look down at the hills and valleys that
stretched away in all directions. Indeed, he hated to leave that delightful
spot. But he noticed that the sun was getting low in the west and he knew that he
must hurry home. So Cuffy started down the mountainside.

He did not pick out the
easiest way to go. Oh, no! He chose the very steepest places to slide down. And
as he went slipping down the steepest cliff of all he came upon something that
gave him a great surprise. For he saw, built right in the crack of a ledge, a
big bird's nest made of sticks. It was the biggest bird's nest Cuffy had ever
seen; and in it were two great white eggs. They were the greatest white eggs Cuffy
had ever seen, too.

How lucky! At least, that
was what Cuffy thought then. For he was very fond of birds' eggs, and his climb
had made him even hungrier than usual. He stopped then and there and with one
rap of the paw he broke one of the eggs and be­gan to eat it.

Cuffy was enjoying his lunch
very much. He had almost finished the first egg and was just about to turn to
the other when he heard a deafening scream.

Cuffy looked all around. He
thought that perhaps there was a pig up there on the mountain. But no! He
couldn't see a thing. Then came that cry again. This time it was louder. And it
seemed to come from right over Cuffy's head. He looked up then. And there was
an enor­mous bird dropping right down on top of him! It seemed to Cuffy that
its wings stretched as wide as the branches of the great pine tree in his
father's front-yard. He never even dreamed that there could be as big a bird in
the whole world. And during that one instant that Cuffy's little beady bright
eyes were turned upwards he saw that the great bird had a wicked, hooked beak
and claws that were as sharp as his own, and ever so much longer.

One look was enough for Cuffy.
He turned and tumbled down the steep cliff, head over heels, with the eagle
following him.